"Under those circumstances, if you had killed the crystal bear without taking any damage, the three of you would still have had a chance to break through the pack of azure wolves you faced afterward."
Wu Changkong's voice was as calm as ever, yet it settled over Tang Wulin's heart like a layer of cold frost.
"Gu Yue wouldn't have needed to cushion your fall with her body."
"Xie Xie wouldn't have needed to fight the wolves to the death with his soul power exhausted, all to protect you while you were crystallized."
"Their sacrifices were all because of you."
The classroom was terrifyingly quiet.
Tang Wulin lowered his head, his fingers slowly clenching.
He had thought he had done well enough in yesterday's battle.
He had killed a Hundred-Year Unicorn Dragon.
Together with Gu Yue and Xie Xie, he had killed a Thousand-Year Crystal Bear.
Little Ant, his soul spirit, had also evolved to the hundred-year level because of it.
All of that should have been worth taking pride in.
But now, as Wu Changkong dissected the battle and laid every mistake before him, he suddenly realized how many needless costs had been hidden behind that supposed victory.
What if it had been a real battlefield?
What if Gu Yue hadn't caught me?
What if Xie Xie hadn't stayed behind?
What if those azure wolves hadn't been ten-year soul beasts, but something stronger?
Because of his lack of knowledge, because he had not known that a Crystal Bear would unleash crystallizing soul power before dying, the entire team had nearly collapsed.
His teammates had all fallen for his sake.
Could a battle like that still be called a victory?
Wu Changkong said evenly, "So, from now on, you need to strengthen your understanding of soul beasts and study them